


Poems of Love

by obviouslyelementary



Series: 'Detroit: Become Human' collection [11]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 22:14:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17312813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obviouslyelementary/pseuds/obviouslyelementary
Summary: "You know what? I'm pretty sure he loves you"Gavin looks up at Elijah, who is smirking over a glass of wine."Because of what you know?""Because of what you said"





	Poems of Love

_"Do you understand how it feels?_

_Like a constant warning in your head_

_Like there is a knife twisting in your heart_

_Like your life is meaningless_

_I'm in constant state of alert_

_Because it hurts too much to function properly"_

 

Another morning the alarm goes off before he is awake. He opens his eyes, blue piercing through the pink flesh in front of him, and his eyelids relax, because he reminds himself there is no danger. There is no rush. And as he hears the soft grunt of the man in front of him as he leans forward to turn off the alarm and return to bed for another five minutes, he feels his eyelids wanting to close once more.

He doesn't have to sleep, but he feels like it. He isn't tired, but he wants to rest. His arms reach out for the warm body in front of him, under the blankets, and wraps around the slim waist that is always so comforting to the touch. He pulls the body closer, digging a space through the soft, non-synthetic hair, and lets himself breathe in the smell of fresh shampoo. It barely lingers, having been more than 24 hours since he last washed it, but it still makes its presence shown, and it immediately calms down his core.

"'Od mornin..." he hears the mumbled out words, and places a light touch of lips against the scalp in front of him.

"Good morning lieutenant" he says right back, his voice usually monotone, even if he feels, deep within his wires, underneath his silicone skin. Another grunt, and he can't help but smile at the reaction. It is natural, to smile. At least that's what he tells himself.

"You're an a-hole" the body responds, and suddenly there is a shift. He loosens his hold around the waist he was holding on to, and the warm body moves around, to be face-to-face with him. "We have sex, we cuddle, sleep on the same bed, and you still insist in calling me lieutenant. Cut the crap tin-can"

"Does Reed suffice?" he asks, and Reed rolls his eyes, pulling him closer by his own waist, sliding his calloused fingers up his back, filling his perfectly aligned spine, the copied bones, the structure so alike his own, and yet so different.

"Gavin. Call me Gavin" Reed... no, _Gavin_ replies, and he feels the lieutenant's hands sliding over his side, feeling the curve of his waist, his hips, down to his thighs and then up again, and they are both naked, and it feels somewhat strange, knowing that this is all Gavin has to show, while him... he still has another layer underneath. He doesn't feel truly naked. It's almost unfair. To Gavin that is. "Nines, what the fuck is going on inside your head? I can hear the engines turning, and it's like, five am"

"Is it too early to be thinking?" he asks, but something inside him shifts at the nickname. Nines. _Nines._ He is a RK900 unit, the most advanced of his kind, and probably the last one to be fabricated for some time, specially after the revolution. And yet, Gavin calls him _Nines_. It is, at the same time, familiar, comfortable, it comes from his serial number, it doesn't bother him too much, but it is also so personal, so exceptionally _Gavin_ , because it is half mockery and half caring, and he can't truly understand why it makes him feel so deeply, but it does.

It truly does.

"It's always too early to be thinking" Gavin responds, and he knew that would be the answer he would receive. Yet, it surprises him, and makes him slightly annoyed.

"We are always thinking. No matter what we are doing. Our brains never stop working" he replies, still annoyed, and Gavin laughs at him, leaning closer and squeezing his waist in a way that makes his artificial stomach turn.

"I'm pretty sure that's a lie" he teases even more, but before he can answer, Gavin leans forward and steals his works with a press of lips. A kiss. A good morning kiss, as he has already heard about so many times before. As he has shared so many times before with Gavin himself. Still, it always feels like the first time.

Their lips press, and then they move, slightly to the side, so they fit better. His eyelids close, just as Gavin's already were, and he leans forward, hands finding their way towards Gavin's hair. His soft hands pull onto his perfectly aligned waist and he moves, finding his balance by straddling Gavin, exactly where the human wanted him, his fingers still sliding through the soft hair, their lips moving in synchrony until Gavin needs to breathe again.

They break apart and Gavin hums, sliding his hands over his thighs, squeezing them lightly, and making sure his LED is at least a nice shade of yellow.

Weirdly enough, that is how Gavin knows he is doing the right thing.

"You never told me your name, you know?"

His eyelids shift up again, and his piercing blue eyes stare deep into Gavin's. They stare at each other for a long time, before he finds the words to respond.

"I don't have one"

Gavin frowns at this.

"You don't have a name?" he asks, surprised, and he shakes his head, sustaining his position over Gavin. He seems distressed, and slightly mad. "You're telling me that your excuse of a brother _Connor_ has a name and you, his superior version, doesn’t?"

"After Connor's many failures, the company decided that naming androids made them more human" he explains, finally kneeling up as Gavin makes his way to sit. "Therefore, they did not name anyone after Connor. It was their new policy. However, the only one after Connor was me"

"So you are just... Nines?" Gavin asks, surprised, and he nods slowly.

"I am RK900, however the closest thing I have for a name is Nines, yes" he confirms, and Gavin chuckles, dryly and nervously, sliding a hand through his hair and pushing it backwards.

"So that basically means that I named my b-f-fuck buddy?" he asks, even more nervous, and then chuckles shakily, sliding his hand down his face. "Wow. As if this couldn't get more fucked up"

"... I am sorry" he responds, not exactly knowing how to proceed, and Gavin shakes his head right away.

"Don't apologize" he says, firmly, and takes his hands on his own. "Just like... tell me a name you would like to be called. Decide for yourself you know? What is the name you would like to have?"

"... we don't get to choose our names" he responds, confused and a bit bothered. Something about choosing names feels... important. Too important. It bothers him inside his core, enough to send his LED to a yellow state. But Gavin seems firm on his decision.

"Well, change that" Gavin says, eyes serious. "I can't keep calling you Nines forever. Specially knowing you don't have anything else to be called. Just choose a name. You will get used to it eventually"

"Are you going to stop calling me Nines?" he asks, and something inside him seems tense. Nervous. Like a glass about to break. Somehow, Gavin seems to realize this, and smiles.

"Nah. It's our personal nickname" he says, and the glass doesn't break. It stays in place, and something feels better. "But you need a name. What Hank calls you? RK900?"

"He calls me 'kid'. Or 'big Connor'. Or 'blue eyes Connor'. And variants" he explains, and it does feel... weird, to be always compared to someone else. Specially his lesser version. "Perhaps I do need a name. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Me? Hell no, I already named you Nines" Gavin shakes his head and let's go of his hands, putting them behind his own head and leaning back against the headboard. "Choose a name you like. Can't be that hard"

He stops, and kneels down comfortably, looking towards Gavin. He accesses a data bank of possible names for himself, with all their meanings, origins, and so on. They fill up his mind, and he closes his eyes to concentrate, associating names with important people, intelligent people, people that made the difference in Earth's history. And despite all of that, a single name with no importance what so ever calls his attention.

He opens his eyes, and looks back at Gavin, who seems to be patiently waiting.

"I like Cornelius"

Gavin looks at him, seeming somewhat surprised, before he furrows his eyebrows, and it makes him nervous inside. Is it a bad name? Is it strange? He awaits, and eventually, Gavin chuckles and smirks at him.

"Fits you"

It is as if the gravity lowered its power over him.

"Do you like it?" he asks, and Gavin shrugs, nodding.

"Yeah, if you like it... it surely suits you" he says, and winks. "Cornelius"

It settles well with him. He nods, and records it to his data base. Now, he has a name.

It's saved right next to 'Nines'.

 

_"It makes me go insane_

_I have never... even felt before_

_And now I feel everything_

_As if there is nothing I can't do_

_As if there's nothing I can't handle"_

"Nines, Nines, _f-fuck_... shit Nines w- _wait ugh_ "

He doesn't want to wait, but he stops, as commanded.

"I want you" he whispers, and Gavin trembles on his arms, pressed against the small wall of the office's locker room, during lunch time. The office is almost empty, they are practically alone, and he _wants_. Now.

"Yeah, I can see that" Gavin chuckles out, breathless, looking up at him and holding his suit. "But we are in the middle of lunch time, in the locker rooms. The door isn't even locked. I may be crazy but I'm not this crazy"

"You teased me the whole morning" Cornelius responds (the name still strange in his mind, but he has to tell himself that _is_ his name now. He has a name), his voice dangerously quiet, and he sees the mixture of fear and desire in Gavin's eyes. "You did it on propose. I want some closure"

"By closure you mean fuck inside the locker room?" Gavin asks, somewhat breathless, and he nods, simple and easy and straight to the point.

"But I will not force you to it" he assures, because if there is something he does not want to do is hurt Gavin.

He would never.

"As if you even could" he responds, and Cornelius knows very well that he could if he wanted, but he doesn't, so yes, he couldn't. After a few seconds of deep silence, Gavin groans and pulls Cornelius down by his suit, kissing him against and making him relax.

Again, it softens everything inside him, and he feels almost human.

Their mouths move together, they press against each other, and Gavin mutters between kisses and bites that he doesn't want to go all the way _here_. And Cornelius needs to agree, it is unsanitary and dangerous for Gavin. So he decides to make things easy by finishing them off with his hand and let it be the end of it.

But Gavin has other plans, and somehow, Cornelius feels excited by the unpredictability of the human he has decided to court.

Gavin lowers down to his knees as soon as their lower halves are bared, and between Cornelius and the wall, takes him inside his mouth and sucks. Like never before, he feels his legs weakening beneath him and Cornelius reaches out, holding onto the wall with one hand and resting his face against it while the free member tangles into Gavin's hair, unconsciously guiding him. His pace. His direction. His LED flashes red and he feels an overheat, but doesn't activate the fan on his back. No, he likes the burning sensation it gives. He likes the sweat it produces, it makes him almost feel normal.

As if he is one step closer to Gavin.

One small step closer to _perfection._

His grip tightens on Gavin's hair as he approaches his climax, and he grunts in between his loud breathing, bucking his waist forward and groaning as he feels Gavin gag around him. His first instinct is to pull back, but Gavin seems to know this, so he holds Cornelius' waist in place and presses him close again, making him moan brokenly against his own arm, that is now covering his mouth. His hand relaxes on the hair, his hips move forward, and he bites down his skin as he feels his stomach untying and releasing.

Gavin doesn't move for a while, but when he does, he slides up against the wall, until he is face to face with Cornelius, smirking at him as if he had just found out the meaning of life and was being really cocky about it.

"Make me a favor?" he asks, and Cornelius stares at him for a while before wrapping his hand around Gavin and watching him close his eyes and lean back against the wall with a sigh and a smile. "Thanks..."

He strokes him slowly at first, then fastens the pace, and eventually he is holding Gavin against the wall with his body, kissing his neck and listening to him come undone against him, scratching down his back and growling against his shoulder.

Cornelius feels pride. It honestly makes him feel great. He feels special.

And when its over, they share a secret kiss, and Cornelius feels breathless again.

 

_"How normal is it, to want to die for someone?_

_I wouldn't be able to survive without him_

_I know I wouldn't wither away_

_But I wouldn't be living either"_

"RK900 GO BACK TO YOUR POST!"

"CORNELIUS!"

The screams and calls were nothing but background noise. He walks forward, eyes piercing through the cars the men are using as barricades. He counts five with pistols, two in the back with shotguns. The rest are escaping towards a jeep on the back of the alley.

He knows vengeance means nothing, but even so, his LED glows red and his hand raises with his gun aimed.

He moves away from one, two, three bullets unharmed. He kills one of them with a short through the nose, into the skull, and that's when he feels the first bullet piercing into his arm. There is no pain, so he continues, shooting the one that hit him and killing him on the spot.

Another two shots make his way into his body. One on his leg, another on his stomach, but none of them hit any vital wires. He keeps walking and kills another. Then another. The fifth runs off, knowing there is no way they can fight him with their pistols.

Cornelius shoots him on the back of the head. Merciful kill.

As he reaches the cars, the shotguns begin firing. One of them hit his shoulder, it destroys all connections to his arm and makes a good portion of his shoulder area to explode away. He lifts his hand and shoots, but the men are able to move away. The other shoots his leg, and it goes right through his thigh, shutting off the wires and making that leg inoperable. Its fine. He has another. He jumps over the car and finds his balance on the other side, shooting one of the men on the heart. The second want shoots him once more, on the other shoulder, and his arm falls off with the gun. He jumps on the jeep and they escape, while Cornelius watches them coldly, marking the car type, the number, and the name and face of each of the men involved.

There is a puddle of blue blood forming around him and he doesn't notice.

He only moves when he feels someone touching his back. He turns his head, only to see Connor standing next to him, looking worried, holding his waist in case he loses his balance.

"He is fine" he says, and Cornelius barely listens. "He lost a lot of blood, but the ambulance already took him to the hospital. He will be fine"

Cornelius feels his insides relaxing at those words and he leans against Connor, feeling weak by the lost of blue blood. Connor picks him up the best he can and takes him to the police car, deciding to take him to Elijah to be fixed.

 _"How is he?!"_ Cornelius hears someone speaking outside the closed door of the car, and Connor's voice is soft as he responds.

_"Fine. He will be fine. Could you take him to Elijah? I would like to go to the hospital and maybe later go home, feed Sumo..."_

_"Sure... yeah of course, gimme the keys"_

Cornelius closes his eyes and keeps himself quiet even after the front door opens and someone touches his cheek. He opens them again however, and Gavin is looking at him, worry all over his face.

"You are completely insane" he breathes out, leaning forward and stealing a kiss from Cornelius, who immediately relaxes, his LED turning yellow instead of remaining red. When they pull back, Cornelius stares at him.

"They hurt Hank. He could be dead" he says, which to anyone else would seem like a cold tone, but Gavin knew very well that he was hurting.

"Nines, you getting killed wouldn't really help" he replies, and Cornelius looks away. "Hey its fine. Honestly. Now lets get you to El, see if he can fix you up okay?"

"... yes" he responds, and relaxes as Gavin turns back and starts the car. They drive off towards Kamski's house, and eventually Cornelius drifts off, falling into a sleep-like state that allowed him to keep the battery saved up. When they arrive, Gavin wakes him up with a light shake and then goes to open the door, holding his waist and helping Cornelius keep his balance. He can't really carry him like Connor could, considering his weight, but the help is already appreciated deeply.

They knock on the door, Chloe opens up, and quickly Cornelius is taken to a room where other Chloes gather up. One of them goes to call Elijah, that comes looking somewhat surprised, dressing up in one of his gowns.

"Kamski" Gavin greets, and Elijah stares at him before turning to Cornelius.

"Close the door. Keep officer Reed until we are done" he commands, and the Chloes do as said, one of them keeping Gavin company while Cornelius is shut down.

The last thing he sees is Gavin looking at him, worry plastered on his face.

He wakes up a few hours later, and opens his eyes, but isn't seen by anyone else. As he turns his head, he realizes he is laying on the couch, as if he was human, dressed up in a new set of clothes, and his vision stops right at Elijah and Gavin, standing by the window, seeming to be talking.

He activates his hearing and focuses on the two of them as much as he can without overcharging his system.

"You should be more careful with your android, Reed. If you want to have one, you have to treat it somewhat right" Elijah says, and they seem to be in the middle of a discussion. Gavin doesn't seem pleased by that comment.

"You're an asshole. And you don't know anything. As usual" he responds, coldly, and rolls his eyes, taking out a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. Before he can take one, however, Elijah pushes the hand back into the pocket.

"Not inside, don't be indelicate"

"Stop being a polished brat around me" Gavin growls and Elijah seems to stop, before turning to look at him.

"Light up one cigarette inside of my house and I will punch you and make you swallow it"

"That's more like it" Gavin chuckles and puts the pack inside his pocket, all while Elijah huffs out in annoyance. "You know I wouldn't have come if I didn’t have reasons. And Connor had to watch the old man and his dog. After all, its his fault this happened"

"So Connor and... Cornelius?" Gavin nods and Elijah hums. "Connor and Cornelius see Hank as a father figure? Do they consider themselves brothers?"

"I mean... I don't know. That's what Hank calls them, that's what everyone calls them, even me... but I don't know if they see each other like that" he shrugs and leans against the window. "Did you program them for it?"

"I didn't program any feeling in them"

"Sure. As if I believe it"

"I haven't. They developed it on their own" Elijah assures, crossing his arms. "I just didn't block their development. Now they grow on their own. I programmed them for lust, for knowledge, for human culture, but not for feelings. But even so I have to admit I supposed androids would develop love as in... romantic love. And parent love" he says, furrowing his eyebrows. "But brotherly love... was something I didn't really think about"

"So you made androids be able to have sex and care for someone in a romantic level, for them to feel like children, for them to feel like parents, but not for them to feel like family?" Gavin asks, and chuckles as Elijah looks away. "Wow. It surely sounds like your insensitive ass"

"... Gavin..."

"Sir!" one of the Chloes call, and only then Cornelius realizes he could be seen by the other androids in the house. Gavin and Elijah turn around, and she points to Cornelius. "He has woken up"

"You sure took your time tin-can!" Gavin calls out and walks quickly towards him while Elijah follows suit, but further behind. Cornelius, now caught, sits up and waits for Gavin's approach. "How do you feel?"

He thinks about saying he is functioning properly. But that is not what Gavin wants to hear, and it's also not what he wants to say.

"I feel fine"

And they leave it like that.

 

_"Sometimes I wonder..._

_If he would ever love me_

_Like I love him"_

They come home after a mission, tired.

Gavin seems about to pass out after two days on constant alert, on barely five hours sleep total.

Cornelius feels fine, but his mind needs a break.

"Finally some proper rest!" Gavin groans and sits on the couch, almost throwing himself at it. "Gosh Nines I honestly thought I was going to die"

"Do you want to eat or drink anything?" Cornelius responds instead, walking towards the kitchen of Gavin's small flat. He looks at him and smiles, nodding slowly.

"Yeah... I don't know what though. Make something easy so I can eat it in one go and then we can go to bed" he says, laying his head back and closing his eyes. Cornelius nods, deciding for an omelet, and retrieves the ingredients, fixing an omelet to Gavin as he grabs a big bottle of blue blood and begins to drink it down. He doesn't need a lot of it, but he hasn't drank any in two days, so he guesses half a bottle wouldn't be too bad.

As soon as he downs it, he feels himself stronger.

He finishes the omelet and puts some soda in a big, icy glass, before taking it to the living room and placing it down on the table. Gavin opens his eyes at the 'click' the plate makes as it hits the table and takes the food, smiling to Cornelius, who simply sits down next to him and watches him eat.

"Is it good?" he asks, and Gavin nods, cutting a piece and offering it to him.

"Taste it"

Normally Cornelius would deny the offer, but now, he feels like it. So he takes it in his mouth, chews, and decides that while the taste is interesting, the texture is not pleasing. He swallows and tells as much to Gavin, he laughs and nods, making a self-note not to cook Cornelius omelet for their anniversary.

"Anniversary?" Cornelius asks, curious, and Gavin freezes, realizing he has said it out loud.

"I-I mean like-like our..." he tries to come up with an excuse, but Cornelius moves closer and he backs away. "H-hey!"

"Are we together?" he asks, eyes brighter than usual, LED glowing yellow, and Gavin stays frozen on the spot for a few seconds before he sighs and puts the plate down, rubbing his face.

"Oh boy..." he mumbles and looks up to Cornelius, who is still staring at him. "I... We... I-I don't know, Nines, I don't know..."

"Why not?" he asks, and Gavin sighs even louder.

"I... after my dad's fuck up, I promised I would never... have a relationship with... an android" he admits, and it seems painful for him to say it. To Cornelius, however, it doesn't affect anything. He had been expecting something like this since day one. It doesn't bother him that much.

"But?" he adds, and Gavin looks at him surprised before he chuckles and rubs his nose.

"You really know me, don't you?" he asks, and Cornelius nods, reaching out and taking Gavin's hand on his own. He seems shaken by it, but Cornelius doesn't back away. "I..."

"We can take it slow, until you decide if you want this or not" Cornelius says, softly, and then tangles their fingers together. "Even though... you already said anniversary so I believe you have been counting for some special date"

"... Yeah maybe I was. Maybe I... am" Gavin chuckles weakly again and sighs. "You fuck me up, you know that, tin-can?"

"Yes. You fuck me up too, Gavin"

He smiles, and then Cornelius smiles, and he chuckles dryly.

"Ah what the hell, our anniversary is March 3rd" he huffs out, and Cornelius smiles a bit more, saving the date. "Because of-"

"I know" he nods and Gavin chuckles and pulls him closer by his hand.

"So... no omelet?"

"No omelet"

"Deal"

"Gavin?"

"Yes Nines?"

"I love you"

"... I love you too tin can"

 

_"You know what? I'm pretty sure he loves you"_

_Gavin looks up at Elijah, who is smirking over a glass of wine._

_"Because of what you know?"_

_"Because of what you said"_

_Gavin furrows his eyebrows and stands up, whiskey and cigarette in hand._

_"You really didn't program them to love?"_

_"No, I wouldn't be that cruel"_

_Gavin chuckles, and Elijah looks at him._

_"What are you waiting for? Isn't today March 3 rd?"_

_"... I should go"_

_"Have fun Gavin"_

_Gavin puts down the glass and the cigarette and smiles._

_"Thanks bro. You too"_

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!!!


End file.
